This is the ninth part in a series about the French wine regions, where we go through some great wine regions with a few tips on where to go and what to do in each region. Next up is Corsica (on Thursday), then we move on to wine regions in Spain, and then we’ll have a look at South America. We will also show you some other of the greatest wine destinations in the world, so stay tuned by subscribing to the RSS feed or Like us on Facebook.

The South-West wine region (French: Sud-Ouest) is often overshadowed by the reputation of neighboring Bordeaux, which geographically could be seen as part of this ‘poor region’. The area between Bordeaux and Languedoc-Rossillion, historically having great amounts of export to England and Holland (later ruined by taxation) and much monastery wine growing, is now often seen as the origin of cheap wines in vast amounts by wine lovers – although wines from the region have been praised since Virgil and Horatius days.

The wines are often based on Merlot, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and both Cabernet varietals in combination with a number of less common local grapes. There’s a similar varietal blend compared to Bordeaux, which also shares the same basic climate near the Atlantic Ocean. If you enjoy Armagnac, you will be happy to know that the area of origin is situated in the South-West region – or perhaps a visit to Cognac, just north of Bordeaux and Bergerac, would be of more interest.

Although the region has a long history of wine growing since the Romans and Visigoth enjoyed the drink, parts of it were all but destroyed by the Saracens, the subsequent Viking raiders, and then the Muslims ordering the uprooting of all vines – which in the end made communities cancel all trade. The Bergerac area has still produced wine continuously since the 13th century, and had similar tax exemptions to Bordeaux for export to England – something the rest of the South-West wine region did not enjoy, and therefore suffered financially from. For an excellent bio-dynamic visit Domaine du Pech in the Bergerac area – although it might be difficult to find, the surrounding countryside and some great Cabernet Sauvignon will help you forget any extra travel time.

Grappe de raisin by kvins.com, on Flickr

As a wine region, Beaujolais is separated from Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) because of the differing blend. However, looking at the map from a travelers perspective, and how France is divided into administrative regions, Beaujolais is actually a part of Burgundy – and some even argue that they should be seen as one even from a wine perspective, despite the differences.

The Beaujolais area might actually be most famous for the autumn harvest festival, on the third Thursday each November – which sees celebrations across the planet at the stroke of midnight for the Beaujolais Nouveau festivities. The day is actually celebrated across the world, but of course if you want to be there for the unveiling of the current years fruity and light-bodied wine, the best place would arguably be where it’s made, and the biggest festival is typically in Beaujeu – the regional capital. Meanwhile, you could visit Lyon for their ‘Beaujolympiades’ (Beaujolais Olympic) or almost any Paris restaurant or bistro for parties where hundreds of bottles are uncorked.

The Burgundy wine region has been referred to as the fairytale land of wines, with stories of kings, conquerors and commoners alike coming to the region for the seductive effects of the local wines. There are amounts of reds and whites, where Chardonnay grapes form the base for the whites, and Pinot Noir is typically found in the reds – and despite the popularity of both in wines around the planet, Burgundy is still seen as home for these varietals. Beaujolais is based on Gammay grapes, which go from vine to bottle in just a few weeks – leading up to the festivities coming so soon after the annual harvests.

This is part 5 in a series about the French wine regions – most of which were featured in the GotSaga article named “10 Top Wine Destinations in France“, where we went through the most famous regions with a few tips on where to go and what to do in each region. Because of the response from that article, we dive a bit deeper here.

Château d'Azay-le-Rideau by Joe Shlabotnik, on Flickr

Hundreds of years ago, royalty and nobility used to leave Paris for relaxing days in the Loire valley (French: Valleé de la Loire), and the region certainly still has the castles and areas to show for visitors to the region. Beside having a vast amount of historical sites, the region is only an hour drive from Paris, meaning it would be the easiest wine region to combine with a trip to the French capitol.

Starting from the Atlantic ocean in the west, continuing along the Loire river to divide France between north and south, the region has a multitude of castles and wine hills – with Nantes and Tours as nice city breaks along the journey. If you start in Tours, I would recommend continuing to Chateau de Villandry, with the beautiful gardens, and then to Chateau d’Usse, which gave inspiration to the the story of Sleeping Beauty. After a drive through the Loire Valley, I would recommend going back to Paris for a lovely natural, organic wine at trendy Racines or sit down at Alfred with a view of Palais Royal.

The Loire Valley wine region creates excellent white wines going perfectly with fish, and some believe that if it hadn’t been for the rise of Bordeaux a few decades ago, the Loire Valley wines would be seen as the brightest of French stars. However to Paris restaurants, bistros and brasseries, the Loire Valley wines are still always present on the wine list with Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc as the main grapes.

This is part 5 in a series about the French wine regions – most of which were featured in the GotSaga article named “10 Top Wine Destinations in France“, where we went through the most famous regions with a few tips on where to go and what to do in each region. Because of the response from that article, we dive a bit deeper here.

This is part 4 in a series about the French wine regions – most of which were featured in the GotSaga article named “10 Top Wine Destinations in France“, where we went through the most famous regions with a few tips on where to go and what to do in each region. Because of the response from that article, we dive a bit deeper here.

The Alsace region is primarily famous for their white wine, which has many similarities with what you find across the border in Germany. Most wines are made from single grape varietal, and you will certainly find Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer grapes used widely in this usually dry and fruity white wines from Alsace, just like in Germany – and many say they are of higher quality than elsewhere using those varietals.
 

Visiting Alsace could easily make you feel like as if taking a step back in time, into a German landscape, a few hundred years ago, with the kind of old town house architecture you find all over Germany, quite a few Germanic village names and people being fluent in both languages. The similarities are not strange, considering the area use to be German, and still has a great trade across the border.

If you have an interest in historical sites, there are a few to visit, including the only Nazi concentration camp situated in France, a few ruins of medieval castles and Roman churches along the wine trail, which flows 170 kilometres along the Vosges mountains. You can also pay a visit to Colmar for some Riesling in the Old Town or Strasbourg for a refreshing glass outside the Notre Dame Cathedral.

For the wine lover, I would especially recommend a tour starting in Strasbourg, find a car to rent and don’t miss visits to Trimbach, Geuberschwir or Hunawihr – my personal favorites in the region. There are however hundreds of wine producers in this fairly small region, giving any visitor plenty to choose from.

When the Romans first planted vineyards in what is now known as Champagne, little did they know that the pinkish still wine they made at the time would evolve to become one of the most celebrated drinks in the world – the sparkling wine now most commonly known as ‘Champagne’.

Even a few hundred years ago, wine makers including the notable Dom Pérignon were still trying to make still wines, which was difficult because of the climate. The vines were still not fully ripened when the winters came, meaning the spring would see the bottles which again started fermenting and then release carbon dioxide ‘bubbles’ – and with the weak bottles of the wine, there were often explosions in the cellars.

The main reason to visit the Champagne region is of course to see the history of the sparkling wine, visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Rheims and of course a few wineries such as Celliers Ruinart and the Moet et Chandon cellars. While there, I would advice starting from Paris and taking the Champagne tour, and include Louis Roederer and Taittinger wineries on the way, where you combine a beautiful setting with amazing champagne that makes you burst the bubbles all day.

This is the first in a series of top wine regions on the planet, following the popularity of a blog post on travel network GotSaga, with title “10 Top Places for Wine across the planet“. This post is released prior to the coming GotSaga guest post about “10 Top French Wine Places”

When writing about France and wine, of course Bordeaux comes to mind. Being placed second in my previous post, this famous wine region is obviously the first among the french. After all, Bordeaux create the wines others try to copy – and even though many are getting closer in wine quality, Bordeaux is still the number one for many wine experts. Some even jokingly say that each year presents a new ‘Wine of the century’ from the region, and that the locals then comment ‘Again?’.

The locals of the area are rightly proud of their wine production and of their region, and aren’t difficult to ask for tips on where to go and which vineyards to visit and wines to try. With such wineries as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Belair and many more chateaux spread over this most famous wine region, none should leave without a lifted spirit. My top vineyard recommendation would however be Chateau Mouton Rothschild, where you usually don’t have to book far in advance, and besides that they have one of the greatest red wines in the world, all accompanied by a nice museum.

For anyone interested in history, it might be known that Dutch engineers drained the Médoc in the 17th century, thereby opening up the gravel ridges for viticulture. Some even consider this to be the start of Bordeaux wine cultivation, even though the Bordeaux has seen grapevines since at least the 4th century, when a Roman poet mentioned wine from the area – and there is a belief that the tradition is even older than that.